Tony Thomas: Who’s Killing Our Climate Scientists?

Why is the Australian Academy of Science going off the deep end claiming “reprehensible vilification” of warmist scientists? It’s now saying they’re being so threatened and harassed that their ability to do science is in jeopardy. Academy President Andrew Holmes, addressing a greenhouse conference in Hobart on October 27, claimed

“The costs to individuals can be high. It is therefore critical that as scientists and experts we stand together. The ability of scientists to conduct their work, free of fear or hindrance, is vital to the future wellbeing of our community, and the Academy will continue to advocate for academic freedom…  

“As the International Council for Science proclaims, the free and responsible practice of science is fundamental to scientific advancement and human and environmental well-being.“

I thought at first he was chastising the academics at University of Western Australia over their successful witchhunt against non-sceptic Bjorn Lomborg, or that he was chastising academics at University of Melbourne for wanting punitive fines to drive sceptics out of the media. Or maybe rebuking US academic peers who wanted sceptic corporations to be prosecuted under the Racketeering and Corrupting Influences Act (that exercise backfired spectacularly). But I erred, Holmes’ victimology includes only orthodox climate scientists as its purported casualties.

Stephan Lewandowsky makes an observation begging for exemplars

Stephan Lewandowsky, that scion of psycho-psience who recently had a paper libelling climate sceptics retracted for its poor ethical standards, has given an interview which ends with this gem:

Lewdicrous

One thing that I would point out is that it’s very important for people to be skeptical and anticipate that people will be misleading to the public. Some of the misinformation that’s out there is not accidental. I think there’s quite a bit that’s put into the public discourse in order to have a political effect. It’s supposed to be wrong, but effective.

I think we need to illustrate this important point with some examples. So instead of this years climate quiz, we’ll have a barnstormer of quotes about climate that have been “put into the public discourse in order to have a political effect.” – Add your favourites, with links if possible, below.

Oooh Look! A Squirrel!

The BBC reports on a major new source of ‘carbon’. apparently, squirrels are going to kill us all according to climate scientist Dr Sue Natali, from Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts.

If ground squirrels are adding nitrogen to an area – and that area doesn’t have plants because they dug them up – this may result in increased loss of carbon from the system

Watch out for those tree felling squirrels, a falling tree will kill you as surely as a falling wind turbine.